Set To Stun!
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics|June 2019

Open the champagne! Alan Dowds’ motorcycle odyssey continues in CMM

Set To Stun!

I know, I know. Regular readers might recall thatI’m already signed up for a project bike in these here pages. Where’s the turbo ZRX Al? What have you been doing Al?

It’s true. My turbocharged Eddie Lawson replica has turned into a sort of Brexity black hole. A farrage-o, if you will. I’ve taken my eye off the ball.

But THE ZRX IS STILL HAPPENING! I’ve decided to double down. Like Theresa May, I’m going to keep at it, and I reckon a resolution is closer than ever. Nothing has changed: promise.

In the meantime though, I’ve only gone and got another project bike. I was on the phone to Sean Mills at Big CC Racing, tickling the turbo ZRX along a bit, and he asked if I wanted to buy a Fazer 600 for a ‘fabulous’ price. Now, I have previous with Yamaha’s natty middleweight roadster. When I started working full time as a bike journalist, the FZS600 had just been launched, and at the end of 1998 I bought the one MCN had run as a long-termer: with my own money and everything. It was bright red, the reg number was R270 PGO (anyone recognise it? It is still MOT’d ,so she’s definitely out there) and I had a ball on it.

I later moved on to work at RiDE magazine, and ended up with another one as a long-term test bike there: a later 2000 ‘S’ model with a bigger tank and preload-adjust forks. Then, a couple of years later I was at SuperBike magazine, and picked up the ultimate ‘foxeye’ model, with stainless exhausts, proper headlights and fancier dash.

Denne historien er fra June 2019-utgaven av Classic Motorcycle Mechanics.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra June 2019-utgaven av Classic Motorcycle Mechanics.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICSSe alt
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Honda VFR750R - RC30

If there’s a more worshipped V4 out there, we’ve yet to see it: welcome to our reboot of the awesome VFR750R RC30…

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2021
Mountain tension!
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Mountain tension!

Award-winning motorcycle engineer!

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2021
Fazer set to STUN!
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Fazer set to STUN!

What do you get when you mix CRK’s lovely café racer kit to Yamaha’s budget middleweight and the recently-retired Martin Fox? Well, one helluva foxy Fazer!

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2021
Project Suzuki 1984 RG250 part 4 BRUNO BARES ALL!
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Project Suzuki 1984 RG250 part 4 BRUNO BARES ALL!

This month, while we wait for backorder engine parts, we strip the chassis back to the bare frame, assess what is needed and plan the reassembly…

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2021
Project Kawasaki Z900 Stocker part 2 Ralph has a blast!
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Project Kawasaki Z900 Stocker part 2 Ralph has a blast!

For the best finish on his Z900’s motor Ralph wants the best, so he visits Stephen Smethurst Casting Renovation to find out how it’s done properly.

time-read
10 mins  |
September 2021
Project Suzuki TS400 Part 8 Loom with a view!
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Project Suzuki TS400 Part 8 Loom with a view!

We’re getting down into the nitty-gritty this time with component testing and loom building. What could go wrong?

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2021
Project Yamaha TX750 Part 12 A question of balance…
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Project Yamaha TX750 Part 12 A question of balance…

Only The Beach Boys had good vibrations… so what’s Mark been up to, to sort out the bad ones coming from his TX750?

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2021
Splitting links
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Splitting links

Ralph Ferrand works with tools all day long – he sells them too at bikerstoolbox.co.uk so he knows what works.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2021
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

STAVROS: PRINCE OF PRANKSTERS!

It’s probably fair to say that Stephen JamesParrish’s persona and overall levity throughout his life have muddied the waters as to just how good a bike racer he was back in the day.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2021
Metal magic!
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Metal magic!

Ralph Ferrand works with tools all day long – he sells them too at bikerstoolbox co uk so he knows what works.. .

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2021